If you were at school, at work, at the grocery store or in church, and someone started shooting, what would you do to protect yourself and your loved ones?

On Thursday, May 10, a certified master trainer with the Villa Rica Police Department and a board-certified emergency medicine physician will provide some sound advice on how to respond to an active shooter and ways to save lives in the aftermath of such an event.

The Villa Rica Police Department, First Baptist Church Villa Rica and Tanner Health System are partnering to host “Avoid | Deny | Defend: Surviving an Active Shooter.” The two-hour educational event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the worship center at First Baptist Church Villa Rica, 1483 West Highway 78.

Officer Perry Baxter

“Avoid | Deny | Defend” will include instruction from Officer Perry Baxter with the Villa Rica Police Department and emergency medicine physician Richard Warren, MD. Officer Baxter and his wife, Chris, lead training initiatives for the Villa Rica Police Department. A certified master police instructor, Baxter served in the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office for almost 30 years, working in jail operations, the juvenile division, field operations and the training division. He is a certified instructor for a host of law enforcement activities, including firearms, emergency medical care, emergency vehicle operations, munitions, fire safety and more. For almost 20 years, Baxter has also maintained certification in leading active shooter/killer training for law officers and the public.

Dr. Richard Warren

Dr. Warren is a board-certified, residency-trained emergency medicine physician with Carrollton Emergency Physicians and serves as the chair of emergency medicine at Tanner Health System, overseeing medical operations at the health system’s four regional emergency departments. He earned his medical degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville and completed his internship and residency in emergency medicine at Darnell Army Community Hospital at Fort Hood, Texas.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there were 220 mass shooting events in the United States between 2000 and 2016. Those events resulted in almost 1,500 gunshot victims, of which more than 660 died of their injuries. While the majority of active shooter events are domestic in nature, shooters have attacked a host of public places, including schools, places of worship, healthcare facilities, shopping centers, workplaces, theaters and more.

“Avoid | Deny | Defend” will provide education on surviving an active shooter situation, including methods to avoid the shooter, being aware of your surroundings, defending yourself against a shooter and fleeing the scene of a shooting — as well as medically-based information on controlling bleeding and administering care to shooting victims.

Attendees are encouraged to use discretion — the content of this education will include footage and details from previous active shooter scenarios and explicit information that might be too intense for some attendees.

Registration for the event is required. Those interested can register online at www.tanner.org/activeshooter or by calling 770.214.CARE (2273).

Montcalm is a former newspaperman with several west Georgia papers. He serves as communications manager for Tanner Health System, representing the nonprofit healthcare organization’s five regional hospitals and about 30 medical practices, all working to improve the health of residents throughout west Georgia and east Alabama.